More than 250 interactive science, technology, energy and health exhibits await students of all ages. We’re experts at making sure that bringing your group to the Museum is smooth sailing all the way. Discounted admission for groups of 20 or more!

Your students become scientists during our ScienceWorks Labs. All programs align with National Science Education Standards, Next Generation Science Standards, Michigan Grade Level Content Expectations and Common Core State Standards. Labs are available year-round for preschool to middle school students.

It's Science on Wheels: We bring the Museum to you! We offer fun, inquiry-based programs for the students in your classroom, library, festival or youth center! All programs address objectives outlined in the Michigan Grade Level Content Expectations and include pre- and post-visit activities.

Our educators use videoconferencing to engage your students in a dynamic, hands-on learning experience. Program kits sent to classroom teachers include nearly everything you need for experiments. Kits are yours to keep! All programs address National Science Education Standards and align with Michigan Grade Level Content Expectations.

Join us for fast-paced, hands-on teacher workshops that provide elementary and middle school educators with new hands-on tools for incorporating interactive science and math activities into your classroom. Join us for professional development opportunities both at the museum and at your school.

Explore week-long science and math activities in conjuntion with Ann Arbor Rec&Ed and other local organizations. Elementary and middle school children can investigate a different theme each week through hands-on and engaging fun.

What do you get when you mix one part science, one part fun, and one part celebration? A birthday party at the Museum! Experience a birthday full of discovery by exploring more than 250 exhibits and experimenting with a hands-on activity. Celebrate in a unique and interactive environment to make your special day really special!

Want to dive deeply into specific topics? Join us for an Evening Workshop! Explore a variety of science concepts through hands-on activities, interactive demos, and experiments in a small group setting. Topics vary from stop-motion animation to computer programming to engineering – there’s sure to be something that piques your interest!

WORKSHOP Roller Coasters in your Classroom (50 mins)

Outreach Workshop: Roller Coasters In Your Classroom

You provide the floor space and we’ll provide the excitement and learning. What better way to learn about the physics of energy, force and motion than through hands-on science? Experience these principles first hand as you build and modify your own roller coaster designs and then get to show off your discoveries to your classmates.

Pre-visit Vocabulary

Centrifugal Force: A virtual force felt by a body in motion around an axis. This apparent force acts opposite the centripetal force and is caused by the natural inertia of the body in motion.

Centripetal Force: The force responsible for pulling an object in rotation back towards the axis.

Energy: The capacity to do work.

Friction: Surface-to-surface resistance between two objects, resulting in the loss of energy to heat.

Gravity: The force of attraction towards the center of the earth.

Inertia: The tendency for an object in motion to stay in motion or an object at rest to stay at rest so long as it is not acted upon by an external force.

Kinetic Energy: The energy of an object based on its movement.

Parabola: The natural path of an object in motion through the air. A parabola is completely symmetric about the axis.

Potential Energy: The energy of an object based on its location. This is the stored energy.

Roller Coaster: A gravity-based train where all of the movement is propelled by gravity. The only input energy is to reach the starting point.

Post-visit Activity

Post-visit activities provide your students with an opportunity to review workshop-presented concepts and introduce related subjects. Below you will find a classroom extension activity and a list of suggested resources for further exploration. We hope that you enjoyed our Outreach Hands-On Workshop and we look forward to visiting your students again!

Hands-on Activity: Flying High

Materials

2 Golf balls

2 Tennis balls

2 Basketballs

Outdoor space

Procedure/Discussion

This is a great demonstration for illustrating the principle of conservation of momentum. Take your class outside and ask if they know what momentum is. Explain that momentum is equal to the mass times the velocity of an object. The law of conservation says that if two (or more) objects collide, the total momentum before the collision must be equal to the total momentum after, not taking into consideration principles like gravity and friction. For the demonstration, first stack the two basketballs on top of each other and drop them as one. Observe what happens. Now, hold the tennis ball on top of the basketball and repeat. Be careful that nothing is in line with the tennis ball. Here, you’ll notice that the tennis ball travels a good distance higher than the drop point.

Try different combinations to see if you can maximize the height. To understand what’s going on, explain that the total mass of your two objects can be thought of as one larger object falling at a specific velocity. When they hit the ground, the top one bounces off the bottom one. The small one soars because you’ve suddenly removed most of the mass. As a result, the velocity must increase in order to compensate.

Example: Imagine you have a 10 pound ball and a 1 pound ball stacked and falling at 10 meters per second hit the ground. The 10 pound ball isn’t elastic enough to bounce at all. What velocity will the 1 pound ball now have? Your total initial mass = 11 pounds. So, set up your equation like this: 11lb × 10m/s = 1lb × vm/s (where v = the unknown velocity). If you solve for v, you should get 110m/s! This is about third the velocity of sound! Of course, in the real world, the heavy ball bounces a little and a lot of energy is lost in the process.